Verifying one’s identity through the scanning of the eyes, as seen in sci-fi movies, has been applied in China to fight child trafficking.

An online platform using iris recognition technology has been set up in Tianjin, Chinanews.com reported.

When recording their children’s irises on the platform, parents can add their information and address. If any lost or abducted children are found, their identities could be verified quickly using the platform.

As the most convenient and advanced biological recognition technology, iris recognition has obvious advantages over fingerprints and facial recognition in terms of stability and accuracy. Its error rate is about one in 10 million, lower than DNA tests.

Authorities plan to collect the iris data of as many children under 12 years of age as possible so that the platform can improve the possibility of identifying found children.

The Ministry of Public Security has verified that the quality and security of the online platform conforms to national standards.

So far, about 100 workstations have been set up around China, which have recorded the data of over 40,000 children.

The data will be shared between the ministries of public security, education, and civil affairs once the database is in use.

The construction of the platform is one of the key aspects of the “Online Child Protection” campaign in China, which was initiated by China National Committee for Youth Wellbeing.